On Sunday, Saudi prince and ruler Mohammad Bin Salman met with Pakistan’s newly elected Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in an unofficial meeting at the Al Safa Royal Palace in Mecca, Saudi Arabia.
Both of the rulers discussed the importance of resolving the ever-long ‘Kashmir Issue’ dispute and also the interaction between both the countries India and Pakistan.
A joint statement was shared after the meeting in which both Salman and Sharif also focussed on improving the communication and relations with both Pakistan and Saudi Arabia and exploring different sectors of opportunities for increased cooperation in a broad range of industries.
Who is Pakistan’s New PM Shehbaz Sharif?
Mian Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif is Pakistian politician and businessman who is serving as the 24th Prime Minister of Pakistan. He is the current President of the Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) and previously he served as the chief minister of Punjab region of Pakistan for three times, making him the longest serving chief minister of Punjab, Pakistan.
He was first elected as the Prime Minister of Pakistan in 2022 after former Prime Minister and cricket legend Imran Khan was removed from the office following tehe vote of no confidence. Then he replaced the caretaker Prime Minister Anwar-Ul-Haq Kakkar who replaced him in 2023 and assumed the office in 2024.
He is the younger brother of the former three-times Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
He entered the politics along with his brother Nawaz Sharif in 1980’s. In the year 1997 Shehbaz Sharif was elected as the chief minister of Punjab while his elder brother Nawaz became the Prime Minister of Pakistan.
But in 1999 a coup by the former Pakistani President and army chief General Pervez Musharraf made both the brothers and their family leave Pakistan for Saudi Arabia where they spent eight years and returned to Pakistan in 2007.
After his return, Shehbaz Sharif was elected as the chief minister of Punjab for consecutive terms in the years 2008 and 2013.
He was also elected as the President of the Pakistan Muslim League in 2017 after his brother Nawaz Sharif was banned from office due to the Panama Papers case.
However, in 2024 he was elected as the 24th Prime Minister for the nation by the both former President and the current President of Pakistan-Arif Alvi and Asif Ali Zardari.
India-Pakistan Relations On Kashmir Issue
Till Now, the Indian authorities in New Delhi have stated that Kashmir is a personal and bilateral issue between India and Pakistan and they don’t want any other party or country to interfere in their matters.
The relations between India and Pakistan further collapsed and declined after the Indian authorities overruled Article 370 (which states that it can allow Jammu and Kashmir to have its constitution, a state flag, and control over internal administration, except in matters of defense, foreign affairs, finance, and communications) and thus dividing the state into two union territories in the year 2019.
The Pakistani authorities did not appreciate this move by India and in turn, they ended their diplomatic ties with India and removed the Indian ambassador from Pakistan.
Recently, the current Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif provoked the Indian authorities by discussing the recent Israel-Gaza issue and stated ‘Let’s all come together…and the National Assembly should pass a resolution for the freedom of Kashmiris and Palestinians.’
India however, always said the same statement that ‘Jammu and Kashmir “was, is and shall forever” remain an integral part of the country.’
Shehbaz Sharif On The Economy Of Pakistan
The joined statement stated that Saudi Arabia will play a crucial and supportive role in the economy of Pakistan in which they will strenghen their relations and mutual cooperations with both the countries- Pakistan and Saudi Arabia.
The statement released by the Ministry of Foreign affairs of Pakistan stated ‘Both parties affirmed their commitment to expediting the first wave of investment package worth $ 5 billion which was discussed previously.’
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Joint Statement on the Meeting Between Prime Minister of Islamic Republic of Pakistan and Crown Prince and Prime Minister of Kingdom of Saudi Arabia
🔗⬇️https://t.co/3zXS2BPmHb pic.twitter.com/p9h8BhycBN
— Ministry of Foreign Affairs – Pakistan (@ForeignOfficePk) April 8, 2024
Shehbaz Sharif also gave an invitation to visit Pakistan to the crown prince of Saudi Arabia which he accepted.
